Containers

ABSTRACT

A container includes a lid having a first breachable portion and a second breachable portion, the first breachable portion being breachable to permit passage of the container contents therethrough; the second breachable portion separate to the first, the second breachable portion being breachable to allow at least partial depressurisation of the container; a single piece opening member attached to the lid and rotatable about the attachment between a first non-breaching position and a second breaching position, the single piece opening member forming a lever having a first end for impinging on the first breachable portion; and a second end of the single piece opening member includes a protrusion, upon rotation of the single piece opening member to the second breaching position and upon a downward application of force of impinging on and breaching the second breachable portion, the protrusion equalising pressure between the container contents and the external environment.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a Continuation in Part, and claims prioritypursuant to 35 USC 120 based on U.S. Ser. No. 12/747,989 filed Aug. 4,2010, which is a 371 of PCT/NZ08/00330, filed Dec. 12, 2008, claimingpriority from New Zealand 561599, filed Dec. 14, 2007.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to improvements in containers.

In particular, the present invention relates to an improved containerand method of opening for equalising pressure before accessing thecontents.

BACKGROUND

To aid clarity and to avoid prolixity the present invention will bedescribed herein with respect to containers in the form of soft-drinkcans or the like for which the present application has particularapplication. However, it should be appreciated that the presentinvention may also relate to other sealed containers having pressurisedcontents for which rapid and/or violent depressurisation is undesirable.

Soft-drinks and other canned beverages containing carbonated fluidprovide the quintessential bubbles which appeal to many people. In orderto create such carbonated fluid, carbon dioxide is dissolved underpressure in the fluid before being sealed inside an aluminium can,plastic or glass bottle or other sealed container.

When the container is opened, the carbon dioxide is allowed to expandand forms as bubbles in the fluid.

Agitation of the container before opening leads to nucleation of the gasin the fluid. This agitation creates regions of fluid at differentpressure and diffuses the gas molecules through the fluid. The moleculesthus collect together during the diffusion to form clusters of gas whichexpand into bubbles when the container is opened and the fluid isdepressurised. Sufficient agitation and rapid depressurisation can alsolead to egression of fluid as frothy foam and/or spray when thecontainer is opened.

There is not only a fluid loss during opening but also the inconvenienceof having uncontrolled fluid expulsion. To alleviate these problems thecontainer may be rested and the fluid left to return to equilibrium overan extended period of time, or alternatively, in the case of bottleshaving screw-caps, the cap may be opened slightly to reduce the rate ofdepressurisation until the pressure has equalised with the externalenvironment.

However, the latter method cannot be used for cans and many other sealedcontainers. For example, cans typically have a pull-tab used to breach ascored region of the can lid. The only means of reducing thedepressurisation rate for such cans is to breach only a small portion ofthe scoring which thus requires careful manipulation of the pull-tab bythe user. This manipulation may be beyond the skill or dexterity of manypeople and thus there is a need for an improved method.

Similar problems are encountered with beer, sparkling wine and otherfermented beverages which contain gas dissolved in a fluid.

It is an object of the present invention to address the foregoingproblems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.

All references, including any patents or patent applications cited inthis specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission ismade that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of thereferences states what their authors assert, and the applicants reservethe right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the citeddocuments. It will be clearly understood that, although a number ofprior art publications are referred to herein; this reference does notconstitute an admission that any of these documents form part of thecommon general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any othercountry.

It is acknowledged that the term ‘comprise’ may, under varyingjurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusivemeaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwisenoted, the term ‘comprise’ shall have an inclusive meaning—i.e. that itwill be taken to mean an inclusion of not only the listed components itdirectly references, but also other non-specified components orelements. This rationale will also be used when the term ‘comprised’ or‘comprising’ is used in relation to one or more steps in a method orprocess.

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of exampleonly.

SUMMARY

1. According to a first aspect of the present invention there isprovided a container, comprising:

-   -   a lid having a first breachable portion and a second breachable        portion;    -   said first breachable portion capable of being breached to        permit passage of the container contents therethrough;    -   said second breachable portion separate to the first, the second        breachable portion capable of being breached to allow at least        partial depressurisation of the container;    -   a single piece opening member attached to said lid and rotatable        about said attachment between a first non-breaching position and        a second breaching position, the single piece opening member        forming a lever having a first end for impinging on the first        breachable portion to breach same; and        a second end of said single piece opening member which includes        a protrusion capable upon rotation of the single piece opening        member to the second breaching position and upon a downward        application of force of impinging on and breaching the second        breachable portion on the container lid to equalise pressure        between the container contents and the external environment.

According to one aspect of the present invention at least one saidbreachable portion is irreversibly breachable.

Preferably both said breachable portions are breachable by said openingmember.

Preferably breaching of either the first or second breachable portionspermits complete depressurisation of the container.

As referred to herein, the term “breachable portion” refers to anyfrangible or weakened portion of the container (or a lid of thecontainer) that is capable of being ruptured, broken or otherwisebreached in order to provide an opening to permit passage of thecontainer contents.

Preferably the container is an aluminium can.

Preferably the container includes:

-   -   a lid having the first and second breachable portions;    -   the opening member attached to the lid and having a first end        for impinging on the first breachable portion to breach same,        and        characterised in that said opening member includes a protrusion        capable of impinging on and breaching the second breachable        portion to equalise pressure between the container contents and        the external environment.

The pull tab is rotatable about the point of attachment between the pulltab and the container. Rotation of the pull tab about its point ofconnection with the container allows the protrusion on the pull tab tobe positioned in a non-breaching position where the protrusion is notpositioned over a breachable portion of the container and a breachingposition whereby the protrusion is positioned over a breachable portionof the container.

The ability to position the pull tab in a default non-breaching positionallows transportation of containers fitted with the pull tab of thepresent invention with minimal risk of accidental breaching of thesecond breachable portion. When the contents of the container areintended to be consumed the pull tab is easily rotated into a breachableposition whereby downward pressure on the pull tab results in theprotrusion breaching the second breachable portion.

Preferably the protrusion is offset from the median plane of the pulltap. An offset protrusion allows the default position of the pull tab tobe substantially equivalent to the position of a standard pull tab.

Preferably at least one said breachable portion is formed by scoring thecontainer lid about at least part of a region defining the, or each,breachable portion. Pressure of the opening member on the region boundby the scoring may thus breach the breachable portion to provide anopening to the container contents.

It is preferable that a portion of the boundary is un-scored to preventthe entire breachable portion of lid from being detached, and passinginto the container. A detachable breachable portion may contaminate thecontainer contents and/or interfere with the user during drinking fromthe container.

In another embodiment at least one said breachable portion is formedfrom a relatively thinner portion of material than the surrounding lid.

In yet another embodiment at least one said breachable portion is formedfrom a relatively weaker portion of material than the surrounding lid.

Preferably the second breachable portion is substantially rectilinear.

In one preferred embodiment the second breachable portion includes aperimeter comprising two opposing sides and a curved end connecting thetwo opposing sides.

Preferably the second breachable portion has a smaller surface area thanthe first breachable portion.

Preferably the second breachable portion is less than one fifth of thesurface area of the first breachable portion.

Preferably the area of the second breachable portion is less thanapproximately 2.4×10⁻⁵ m².

Preferably the second breachable portion is substantially rectilinear.

Preferably the opening member is a ‘pull-tab’ as utilised on knownsoft-drink cans.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided apull-tab for attachment to a container substantially as hereinbeforedescribed, the pull-tab including:

-   -   a first end for impinging on the first breachable portion to        breach same, and        characterised in that said pull-tab includes a protrusion        capable of impinging on and breaching the second breachable        portion to equalise pressure between the container contents and        the external environment.

Preferably the protrusion is formed integrally with the pull-tab. Theprotrusion may thus be formed during the moulding and folding process oftypical pull-tabs alleviating the need for retrofitting of additionalmembers.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided acontainer lid for a container substantially as hereinbefore described,the container lid including:

-   -   a first breachable portion and a second breachable portion;    -   an opening member, formed as a single piece, attached to the        container lid by, and being rotatable about, an attachment, the        pull tab capable of being rotated between a first non-breaching        position and a second breaching position, the single piece        opening member forming a lever and having a first end for        impinging on the first breachable portion to breach same, and        a second end of the single piece opening member which includes a        protrusion capable upon a downward application of force of        impinging on and breaching the second breachable portion on the        container lid when the single piece opening member is positioned        in the second breaching position to equalise pressure between        the container contents and the external environment.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided amethod of opening a container as claimed in any one of the previousclaims, said method including the steps of:

-   -   rotating the single piece opening member to the second breaching        position; and    -   breaching the second breachable portion to at least partially        depressurise the container; and    -   breaching the first breachable portion to permit passage of the        container contents.

The present invention may thus provide significant advantages over theprior art, including provision of a container capable of a controlleddepressurisation before opening the first breachable portion and therebyameliorate the risk of rapid depressurisation and egression of thecontainer contents out of the main breachable portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description which is given by way of exampleonly and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 Shows a side perspective view of a container according to onepreferred embodiment of the present invention; and,

FIG. 2 Shows a side perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 with thesecond breachable portion breached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a container according to one preferred embodiment inthe form of an aluminium soft drink can as generally indicated by arrow1.

It will be readily appreciated by one skilled in the art that numerousembodiments are possible and that the example of an aluminium soft drinkcan is purely exemplary and in no way limiting.

The soft drink can (1) is generally cylindrical and has a lid (2) withfirst and second breachable portions (3, 4) formed by scoring a regionof the can lid (2) along peripheral boundaries (5, 6) around thebreachable portions (3, 4). The scoring (5, 6) provides a weakenedregion which will rupture when sufficient pressure is placed on eachbreachable portion (3, 4).

The first breachable portion (3) is significantly larger than the secondbreachable portion (4) to allow a user to pour the contents of the can(1). The second breachable portion (4) is smaller to allowdepressurisation without significant egression of the can (1) contents.

The second breachable portion (4) includes two scored sides (6), ascored curved end (not shown) and one un-scored side (7) which, when thesecond breachable portion (4) is breached, acts as a hinge to retain thebreachable portion (4) of lid (2) and prevents the breached portion (4′)from falling into the can (1).

The exemplary can (1) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is sized such that the twoscored sides (6) are approximately 6.5 mm in length and separated by theun-scored side of length approximately 3.8 mm, although it will beappreciated the dimensions of the breachable portions (3, 4) may beadapted to suit the particular container.

A pull-tab (8) is riveted to the lid (2) with a rivet (9) between thetwo breachable portions (3, 4) and is rotatable about said rivet betweena first non-breaching position, shown in FIG. 1, and a second breachingposition, shown in FIG. 2. Pull- tab (8) includes a first end (8 a)adapted to impinge on and breach the first breachable portion (3) and asecond end (8 b) having a protrusion (10) which is adapted to breach thesecond breachable portion (4) when the pull tab (8) is rotated into thesecond breachable position and is pushed against the second breachableportion (4), as is shown in FIG. 2.

The protrusion (10) is formed during the manufacture of the pull-tab (8)by including additional portions of aluminium on the tab (8) when castin a die. The additional portions may then be folded together to formthe protrusion (10). In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, theprotrusion (10) extends approximately 4 mm from the pull-tab second end(8 b) and is approximately 3 mm wide at its widest point.

The protrusion (10) is shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as being offset fromthe median plane of the pull tab. However, it will be appreciated thatthe protrusion could also be positioned on the median plane, in whichcase the pull tab is typically rotated away from the second breachingposition, during transport for example. The protrusion (10) is formed onthe innermost side of the second end (8 b) so that the outer side iseasily gripped by a user when pulling upwards to open the firstbreachable portion (3).

To open the can (1), the pull tab (8) is rotated about attachment rivet(9) from the first non-breaching position, shown in FIG. 1, into thesecond breaching position, shown in FIG. 2, and the second end (8 b) ofthe pull-tab (8) is pressed onto the second breachable portion (4) tobreach same and thereby allow depressurisation of the can (1). Thepull-tab (8) is then pulled away from the second breachable portion (4)to force the first end (8 a) into contact with the first breachableportion (3) to breach same.

Thus, by providing a second breachable portion (4) which is relativelysmall, the can (1) may be depressurised at a controlled slower rate thanbreaching the first breachable portion (3). In contrast, existing softdrink cans only have a ‘first breachable portion’ which when opened canlead to rapid depressurisation of the can and therefore rapid egressionof the contents i.e. a shaken can will often froth and spill drink whenopened.

Aspects of the present invention have been described by way of exampleonly and it should be appreciated that modifications and additions maybe made thereto without departing from the scope thereof.

1. A container, comprising: a lid having a first breachable portion anda second breachable portion; said first breachable portion capable ofbeing breached to permit passage of the container contents therethrough;said second breachable portion separate to the first, the secondbreachable portion capable of being breached to allow at least partialdepressurisation of the container; a single piece opening memberattached to said lid and rotatable about said attachment between a firstnon-breaching position and a second breaching position, the single pieceopening member forming a lever having a first end for impinging on thefirst breachable portion to breach same; and a second end of said singlepiece opening member which includes a protrusion, upon rotation of thesingle piece opening member to the second breaching position and upon adownward application of force of impinging on and breaching the secondbreachable portion on the container lid, said protrusion equalisingpressure between the container contents and the external environment. 2.The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is analuminium can.
 3. The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the firstbreachable portion is formed by scoring the container lid about a regiondefining the first breachable portion.
 4. The container as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the second breachable potion is formed by scoring thecontainer lid about a region defining the second breachable portion. 5.The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first breachableportion is formed from a relatively thinner portion of material than thesurrounding lid.
 6. The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein thesecond breachable potion is formed from a relatively thinner portion ofmaterial than the surrounding lid.
 7. The container as claimed in claim1, wherein the first breachable portion is formed from a relativelyweaker portion of material than the surrounding lid.
 8. The container asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the second breachable portion is formed froma relatively weaker portion of material than the surrounding lid.
 9. Thecontainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second breachable portionis smaller than the first breachable portion.
 10. The container asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the second breachable portion is less thanone fifth of the size of the first breachable portion.
 11. The containeras claimed in claim 7, wherein the area of the second breachable portionis less than approximately 1.6×10⁻⁵ m².
 12. The container as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the second breachable portion is rectilinear.
 13. Thecontainer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the opening member is a‘pull-tab’.
 14. The container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the openingmember is a ‘pull-tab’ and wherein the protrusion is offset from amedian plane of the pull-tab.
 15. A single piece pull-tab for attachmentto a container having a first breachable portion and a second breachableportion, the single piece pull-tab comprising: an attachment point forattaching the pull-tab to the container so that when the pull tab isconnected to a container it functions as a lever and can be rotatedabout the point of attachment; a first end configured for impinging onthe first breachable portion on the container to breach same; and asecond end of said single piece pull-tab includes a protrusionconfigured to, upon rotation of the single piece opening member to thesecond breaching position and upon a downward application of force,impinge on and breach the second breachable portion on the container toequalise pressure between the container contents and the externalenvironment.
 16. The single piece pull-tab as claimed in claim 15,wherein the protrusion is formed integrally with the single piecepull-tab.
 17. The single piece pull-tab as claimed in claim 15, whereinthe protrusion is offset from a median plane of the pull-tab.
 18. Acontainer lid for a container comprising: a first breachable portion anda second breachable portion; an opening member formed as a single piece,attached to said lid by, and being rotatable about an attachment, thepull tab capable of being rotated between a first non-breaching positionand a second breaching position, the single piece opening member forminga lever and having a first end for impinging on the first breachableportion to breach same; and a second end of the single piece openingmember which includes a protrusion, upon a downward application of forcesaid protrusion impinging on and breaching the second breachable portionon the container lid when the single piece opening member is positionedin the second breaching position to equalise pressure between thecontainer contents and the external environment.
 19. The container lidas claimed in claim 18, wherein the protrusion is offset from the medianplane of the pull-tab.
 20. A method of opening a container as claimed inclaim 1, said method comprising the steps of: rotating the single pieceopening member to the second breaching position; and pushing downward ona tab portion adjacent the second breachable portion of the can,breaching the second breachable portion to at least partiallydepressurise the container; and, pulling upward on the end of the tabopposite the first breachable portion of the can, breaching the firstbreachable portion of the can to permit passage of the containercontents.